Pearson Sound – ‘Pearson Sound’ LP [Hessle Audio]

With his self-titled LP, Pearson Sound undertakes the full-length format for the first time.

Having been at the vanguard of forward thinking dance music for almost a decade, it’s also a first for Hessle Audio, the label formed by Pearson Sound (real name David Kennedy) with friends Ben UFO and Pangaea in 2007.

Drawing inspiration from nights at Leeds’ West Indian Centre and London’s Plastic People, and through a mutual love of UK club music and soundsystem culture, the trio generated a hub for artists (mostly Kennedy, Pangaea and friends) looking for unsettling, surprising but invariably compelling ways to move a dancefloor. For Kennedy, this meant placing his signature on a number of rhythmic styles: from Blimey, an ambient wash of clamouring children and haunting keys beneath a jabbing halfstep lead, to Blanked, its devious sub and fizzy breakbeat imploding to announce a yearning synth arrangement full of character.

For this release – a snapshot of his output from the past two years – Kennedy turns to hardware and the order shifts again. What emerges is a collection of typically dynamic tracks. They’re economical but their impact is dizzying. Asphalt Sparkle is an opener that should be experienced in context: on an effective system within a confined space. The claustrophobic groove is built around a stuttered but devastating kick that combines with brass synths to recall the energy of Baltimore club, slowed to a stumble.

Pearson Sound’s infectious tonal percussion shines throughout the LP. Elements are spun off axis and run ragged. Glass Eye features a line of shuffling synths filtered high and low to resemble the echo of a sports hall. As scattering hats and defiant snares interact with a playful kick, a flash of soothing strings relieve all strain. Russet demonstrates similarly palliating form as dreamy pads glow over a tom-led workout and illuminate an unmistakably bouncy tool. On Six Congas, rolling keys prod against the blast of a siren while tribal feet stiffen the mood.

Even for these lighter moments, Kennedy is sparing in his use of melody. For the most part, he creates tension by manipulating simple lines and inventive drum patterns. Crank Call’s odd tune staggers through a driving tom loop. As it wavers, a faint panting breath makes way for a smattering of grime claps which whip the track into shape.

Pearson Sound has a certain ominous hypnotism. It’s evident in the twisting trajectory of its composition and in the disconcerting yet familiar atmosphere of its sounds. On Headless – which proceeds with a disturbing whistle – sub-filled siren-like textures combine to form something of a hook. Gristle presents a choppy ambient piece whose layers of noise and static elicit the sound of a jet engine. A twisted synth note and its jagged, haunting accompaniment are joined by an elusive vocal, piercing in its desperation.

That the LP’s an exhausting listen, disorienting with each stroke, is part of Kennedy’s intention.
Followers of his early work might begrudge the lack of harmonious textures and peculiarly worked vocals. However, encountered in the right environment, the new tracks are almost certain to evoke response: they’re meticulously programmed, exciting and ultimately gripping.

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